HISTORY 102 Wi 2024: Critical Reading Assignment (25%) A pdf file of the Critical Readings Assignment (an Analytical Essay) is due on mêskanâs at 11:59PM MST on Feb 5, 2024, and it is worth 25% of you

1 Spanish Pacific Economic Insights Humza Quadri Macewan University HIST -261 -AS95(1) Feb . 6 , 2023 2 Spanish Pacific Economic Insights The study of primary sources is essential for historians who seek to understand the complicated political economy of the Spanish Pacific in the sixteenth and seventeenth century.In this discussion, we look at three main documents: “The 1604 Decree of Phili p III Regulating Philippine Trade,” “Leonor Alvarez versus Tomas Aquino, Chinese, her Executor,” and the “Memorial of the Things Happening in these Philippine Islands of the West and of their Condition of What Must be Remedied, Written by Friar Domingo de Salazar.” The 1604 Decree of Philip III Regulating Philippine Trade The 1604 Decree of Philip III is the crucial document revealing the Spanish Crown's fears of the growing trade relationship between the West Indies and the Philippines. This regulatory proclamation clearly describes strict orders regarding the amount of tr aded goods and ship specifications and only permits specific individuals to trade between New Spain and the Philippines. The overarching goal of these regulations is to protect Spain's economic interests and financial security and ensure authoritative cont rol over trade to strengthen Christianity in the Philippine archipelago. The tension between intention and enforcement within the decree becomes evident through the recognition that many engaged in this trans -Pacific trade are residents of New Spain, Peru, and other provinces. “Most of the people involved in this trade are residents of New Spain and Peru and other provinces, who import merchandise in excess of the decrees” is a sob ering revelation of the practical problems in implementing these regulations 3 1(66) . Though the Crown tried to outline clear regulations, the decree shows the difficulty of controlling economic activities over such vast areas and numerous regions of the Spanish empire. Leonor Alvarez versus Tomas Aquino The case of Leonor Alvarez versus Tomas Aquino reflects a more refined prism to analyze the complex economic structures within the Chinese community in the Philippines during the given historical era. In a testamentary snapshot, Leonor Alvarez's testament reveals essential details about property possession, inheritance norms, and the complex social web of this society. The testament's reference to liberating Francisco, called a "negro of the Terranova caste, " reflects the multiple layers of social and economic ties in the Chinese community 2(136) . This emancipation from slavery reveals the legal status of the individuals in the society and points out the various ethnic groups and cultural melting that took place during this time. The use of the words "Terranova caste" points to a particular social group or identity, shedding light on the complex social strata in the Chinese community. Leonor Alvarez's will, by freeing a slave, reveals an aspect of the economic scene in which personal relationships, legal arrangements, and the interplay between vari ous ethnicities were crucial. This microcosmic legal battle provides an 1 Lee, Christina, and Ricardo Padrón. "The Spanish Pacific, 1521 -1815: A Reader of Primary Sources." (2020): 1 -246. 2 Lee, Christina, and Ricardo Padrón. "The Spanish Pacific, 1521 -1815: A Reader of Primary Sources." (2020): 1 -246. 4 important historical artifact that helps us to see the intricacies and subtleties woven into the Chinese economic fabric in the Philippines during the period under study. Memorial of the Things Happening in these Philippine Islands The broad economic implications of Spanish colonization in the Philippines are brought to light in Friar Domingo de Salazar's "Memorial of the Things Happening in These Philippine Islands." In this memorial, Friar Salazar describes the effects forced labor , especially mines, had on the indigenous agricultural practices, leaving a distinct reduction in productivity. The keen perception of the friar highlights the complex relationship between economic activities, intervention policies, and effects on the nati ve population. The above quote, " And although they [the natives] handled and traded with gold, it was more common to see them trade foodstuffs for rice until the Spaniards introduced the use of money ,” further highlights the economic effects of Spanish colonial efforts on the Philippine economic fabric 3(41) . Establishing a monetary system brought changes to the trade practices and thus made the indigenous economy more dependent on the emerging Spanish colonial economic system. Salazar's memorial can be considered a significant historical artifact that provid es information about the economic transition and challenges the Philippines faced under Spanish rule. It serves as a prism through which we can understand the nature of colonial economic policies, the impact of these policies on the lives of the native peo ple, and the legacy of these changes in the economic landscape of the Philippine Islands. 3 Lee, Christina, and Ricardo Padrón. "The Spanish Pacific, 1521 -1815: A Reader of Primary Sources." (2020): 1 -246. 5 Conclusion The analysis of these primary sources gives a complex picture of the political economy of the Spanish Pacific in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The 1604 Decree of Philip III shows the monarch’s struggle to regulate trade and Christianity in the P hilippines, Leonor Alvarez versus Tomas Aquino provides details on the economic life of the Chinese, and Friar Domingo de Salazar’s memorial highlights the general impact of Spanish colonization on indigenous economies. Through this synthesis, historians a re able to assemble a coherent story of the economic intricacies and problems that confronted the people of the Spanish Pacific during this historic age.